Refrigerating mechanism



Jan. 31, 1933. G. MUFI-LY REFRIGERATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 9, 1929 ..2 Sheets-Sheet l pfo \ l i i ii INVENTQR E/enn Muff ATTORE NEY l I I 0 m v m a T n I Filed Sept. 9, 192 ZSheeis-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GLENN MUFFLY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOB TO COPELAND PRODUCTS, INC, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN BEFRIGERA'IING MEGEAN ISM Application filed September 9, 1929. Serial 110. 391,145.

This invention relates to refrigerators, the principal object being the provision of a novel liquid cooler having means to cool liq uids in bulk and also in bottle form.

Another object is the provision of a mechanically cooled refrigerator having a refrigerated compartment therein, said compartment having a bulk liquid cooling container permanently mounted therein and provided with means for the support of an in verted bottle thereabove, and said compartment being further adapted to receive bottled liquids to be cooled.

Another object is to provide in a refrigerator cabinet having a compartment provided with a permanent water cooling con-. tainer therein and occupying only a portion of said compartment, a novel arrangement of a cooling element in said compartment for cooling both the water container and the remaining space in said compartment in which bottled liquids are adapted to be received, and further, a novel arrangement by which the relative degree of cooling of the water container with respect to the remaining space in the compartment mav be easily and simply varied.

Another object is the provision in the refrigerator cabinet of a hinged door adapted to swing downwardly and outwardly to a substantially horizontal open position in which it may serve as a shelf.

Another object is to form such a door with a marginal interior projection serving as a rail to prevent articles supported by the door when in its horizontal open position from slipping 01f.

, Another object is to detachably mount upon the outside of a refrigerator cabinet 9. container for receiving drippings from a dis-,

pensing valve Another ob]ect is to provide certain novel I features of construction that will be specifithen claimed, having the above and other obects in view.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a suitable embodiment of the present invention, and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several different v1ews,

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator partly in section for better illustration.

Fig. 2 is a partially broken side view of the refrigerator shown in Fig. 1, including optional additional details but omitting the bodies of drawers and showing the horizontal open position of the hinged door in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the upper portion of Fig. 1 showing how the insulation at the top of the cooling coils may be changed to vary the degree of refrigeration of the water cooler and a refrigerated storage compartment.

It is customary in the conventional types of refrigerator constructions to provide one refrigerator for cooling water or other liquids in the bulk separately, or one refrigerator for coolin'gbottled liquids or other articles separately. erator has been provided to serve the doub e purpose of cooling water or other liquids in the bulk and also providing a refrigerated compartment for cooling bottled liquids. In accordance with the present invention, I have provided ,a novel liquid cooling cabinet by equipping an upper chamber not only with a special major compartment containing a bottled cooling compartment all being combined in a construction adapted fully to utilize the maximum heat absorbing capacity of the cooling element.

As illustrative of the present invention I have shown in the drawings a refrigerator cabinet comprising a subdivided upper chamber 10 and a lower chamber 11. The lower chamber 11 is provided for installation of the usual refrigerating mechanism (not shown) to be used for operating a cooling element in the upper chamber 10. The elements shown in the subdivided upper chamber 10 comprise a removable or other per- As far as I know, no refri manent liquid cooling container 12, a brine tank 13 in a major compartment thereof, this being separated by special walls or baflles from a refrigerated compartment 14 for bottled liquids. The brine tank 13 is disposed in the lower portion of the upper chamber 10 and on one side thereof. The container 12 is shown as provided with a cover adapting it to receive a bottle neck and as disposed above the brine tank 13 1n the upper portion of the chamber 10; and a movable neck-receiving cover element may extend entirely over the upper chamber 10. A vertlcally extending baflle 16 may be provided in I spaced relation to the brine tank 13, when the latter is separately formed, as shown in Fig. 1; and it may have an upwardly and laterally extendin angularly disposed baflle 17 extending rom its upper edge to the top of the chamber 10 in spaced relation with respect to the angularly disposed. side of the water container 12, said bafiles 16 and 17 closing off the major compartment containing the brine tank 13 and the water tank 12 from the remaining or minor compartment 14 of the cabinet 10 adjacent the container 12 as at 18'.

A sheet of insulating material 19 may be provided between the bafile 17 and the coils 18' in order that the container 12 may receive a greater cooling effect from the coils 18 than the compartment 14. This type of installation is particularly suitable wherea consider-' able amount of water or other liquid is disnsed.

A modified form of construction is shown in Fig. 3 in which the insulating material 19 is disposed between the cooling coils 18 and the adjacent side of the'bottle-receiving element or container 12. In this installation the refrigerating chamber 14 receives the greater cooling effect from the cooling coils 18' because of the disposition of the insulating material 19 adjacent the container 12.

The usual pockets 25 are provided in the brine tank 13 to receive freezing trays 26. Each of the freezing trays 26 is preferably provided with a flange 27 for cooperatin with a vertically extending bafiie 29 dispose in the forward part of the chamber 10 which is provided for completing or concealing the brine tank its use providin better circulation of air around the rine tank 13. Handles 28 are also provided for moving the tra s 26.

door 30 in front of the chamber 10 gives access to the chamber and is hinged. at its lower edge by a laterally extending hinge 31. The door 30 is provided with interior mar- 'nal shoulders 32, formed by reversely bend other articles put thereon from falling off when the door 30 is swun into a horizontal position and used as a shel A folding brace 33 is preferably attached to the side of the chamber 10 and to the door 30 for holding the door when in its horizontal position. When the door 30 is in a horizontal position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, it serves as a shelf. Insulatin material 51, such as rubber, is used arena the edges where the door 30 seats to prevent the transfer of heat to the chamber 10 from the outside of the cabinet.

Mounted on the top of the refrigerator cabinet is a separately replaceable outer bottle or other vessel 35 preferably used for water and preferably having the nature of a large inverted bottle, the shoulder of whichsets freely upon a packin ring 36 of rublines a circular opening 37 centrally provided in the movable or other cover element or top of the refrigerating cabinet and extending into the container 12. Thus the neck of the said bottle is adapted to project into the container 12. Suitably connected to the bottom of the container 12 is a discharge pipe 38 which leads through the front wall of the refrigerator cabinet and connects. exteriorly of said wall with a normally closed control valve 39. Suflicient liquid will dischargefrom the container 35 into the container 12 to maintain in the latter a level such as to seal the mouth of said'container, and any-withdrawal of the contents of said container 12 n will permit a sufficient discharge from the container, 35 to re-establish such level. 'Any other inlet connection which permits operation in the general manner described may be attached tothe container 12 toserve th same purpose as the bottle 35.

Supported on the front lower portion of.

the refrigerator cabinet is a drainage receiver 41 directly below the valve 39 for receiving the drippings therefrom or for receiving any liquid that is spilled. To support said receiver'for ready removal from the refrigerator an opening 42' is centrally formed in the top portion of the rear wall of the receiver 41 and the metal displaced from said opening is upwardly bent to form a hook 43 adapted to fit upon correspondingly hooked bracket 44'exteriorly secured to the refrigerator cabinet and projecting throughsaid opening 42.. The receiver 41 therefore can be easily removed to permit emptying of its contents. A screen or other member erably disposed within the top portion of the receiver 41 upon suitable brackets 46 to pre- Louvers 47 are disposed around the bot" tom portion of the refrigerator cabinet in the conventional manner for circulation of;

45 having suitable openings therein is prefair in the lower chamber 11 containing the refrigerating mechanism.

In the above described arrangement the liquid in the container 12 is kept coolat all times and the compartment for keeping bottled liquids is likewise kept cool at all times. This device may be used in homes or business places generally, but it is particularly adapted for use in. restaurants and clubs. The drainage receiver 41 provides a simple means for catching the ,drippings and keeps the floor around the device clean. The horizontally extending door is another advantage which this refrigerator providesJin that hot tles, glasses, or. any other articles being put into the refrigerator or being taken out there from can be set thereon. It will be apparent that the above described device provides a means for dispensing low temperature water or other liquids, means to use a conventional type of bottle in cooperation with the container, means for obtaining ice, and a chamber for cooling bottled liquids.

It will be apparent that although the container 12 is preferablv removable for cleaning or repair, it is in one sense a permanent part of the device, and this is the sense that the word permanent is to be interpreted in the following claims, and as opposed to a bottle or other container which it is necessary to remove in order to obtain the liquid contained therein.

Formal changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described without departing from the spirit or substance of the broad invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What I claim is:

v1. In a mechanical refrigerator, in combination, a cabinet provided with a chamber, a heat conducting-wall dividing said chamber into two compartments sealed against the circulation of air between them, a liquid con tainer permanently supported in one of said compartments and having a wall thereof in spaced relation with respect to said dividing wall, a brine tank in said compartment in proximity to said water container. and cooling coils partially disposed in said brine tank and partially disposed between said walls 2. In a mechanical refrigerator, incombination, a cabinet provided with a chan'iber, a heat conducting wall dividing said chamber into two compartments sealed. against the circulation of air between them, a liquid container permanently supported in one of said compartments and having a wall thereof in spaced relation with respect to said dividing wall. a brine tank in said compartment in proximity to said container, cooling coils partially disposed in said brine tank and partially disposed between said walls, and a sheet of heat insulating'material receivable between either of said walls and the adj accnt portion of said coils.

3. In a mechanically cooled refrigerator cabinet, in combination, a chamber, a heat transmitting wall dividing saidchamber into two compartments, a container for bulk liquids and P cooling element within one of said compartments, said cooling element having a wall in spaced relation with said dividing wall, said cooling element extending between said dividing wall and said wall of said container, and heat insulating material disposed between one of said walls and said cooling element.

4. In a mechanically cooled refrigerator cabinet, in combination, a chamber, a heat transmitting wall dividing said chamber into two compartments, a bulk liquid container and a cooling element within one of said compartments, said cooling element having a wall in spaced relation with said dividing wall, said cooling element extendin between said dividing wall and said wall 0% said liquid, container, and heat insulating material disposed between the wall of said liquid con tainer and said cooling element.

5. In combination with a refrigerator casing having a compartment to be cooled, a door having a metallic interior lining and giving access to said compartment, hinge means engaging the lower edge of said door, means adapted to maintain said door in a substantially horizontal position when open, and a marginal interior shoulder formed on saida casing, a drainage receiver having a, wall engaging said casing, said receiver having an opening formed in the top portion of said wall and having the metal displaced from said opening upwardly bent to 'form a supporting projection, and a bracket carried by said casing projecting through said opening into supporting engagement with said projec- 7. In a mechanically cooled refrigerator cabinet and in combination: a subdivided chamber having a movable cover element and providing both a major compartment, containing a permanent liquid cooling container element, one of said elements being provided with means for the support of a replaceable vessel thereabove, and a minor compartment adjacent the major compartment to receive articles to be cooled; and a cooling element positioned to simultaneously cool both of said compartments.

8. In a mechanically cooled refrigerator cabinet and in combination: a subdivided chamber having a movable cover element and providing both a major compartment, con taining a permanent liquid cooling container element, one )f said elements being provided with means for the support of a replaceable vessel thereabove, and a minor compartment ad acent the ma or com artment to receive articles to be cooled; an a cooling element positioned to simultaneously cool both of said 5 compartments,-one of said compartments hav ng freezin pockets so enclosed therein as to be expose to said cooling element.

9. In a mechanically cooled refrigerator cabinet-having a compartment in the upper" I part thereof, means dividing said compart ment into a plurality of smaller compart ments, one of said smaller com artments being adapted to contain a drinka le li uid, anot er to receive articles to be coole and a 15 third for -receiving articles to be frozen, means for cooling said smaller compartments accordingly, means for gaining access to the last two of the smaller compartments, through a side wall of the cabinet, and means 520 for gaining access to the other compartment adapted to contain drinkableliqu'id, through the top wall of the cabinet.

GLENN MUFFLY. 

